Hops and cream and noticeable creamy head. Taste with an offsetting bitterness that I didn't care for or expect. Strong bitter mouthfeel Citrus floral and pine aroma. Inexpensive.
Had this 3 years later on-tap and this review is based on that, at Pizza Port Solena Beach Lace, a serviceable pale. AFter so many good pales, Sierra finds its way among the pack, but was sure a revalation when I first had it.

Have had this many times in the bottle as well as on tap over the past couple of years.

It pours an appropriate color for a pale ale. I say that because many times beers without color are beers without flavor barring of course belgian golden ales and tripels and some weissbiers. The foam dies off quickly which is alright with me because it doesn't taste much like the beer (the hops seem to stick out in the foam).

It has probably the best pale ale flavor I've had. It has a good amount of bitterness for a pale ale but that bitterness disapears quickly and becomes sweet and malty. Very drinkable and is well balanced.

Pours a copper orange color with a 1 inch off-white head that fades to a thin cap. Nice thick rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of sweet malt and citrus zest. Taste is of sweet malt and citrus zest hops. There is a slightly soapy taste I am getting as well. This beer has good carbonation and is crisp and clean in the mouth. Slight hop bitterness lingers on the palate after each sip. Overall, this is a good pale ale and pretty much available everywhere in a pinch when there are no other good beers on the menu.

Pours a nice light copper color with a good white head and some pretty sticky lacing on the way down. The nose is all about the American C hops with some excellent citrus notes throughout. The taste is slightly-bitter citrus hops with a very mild malt presence in the background. Not excessively bitter, but does the job right. Drinkability is really high, as this is perhaps the most classic of all the craft beers.

A: The beer is clear dark golden yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense off white head that died down and consistently left a thin film covering the surface and a ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.S: There are moderate aromas of citrusy hops in the nose.T: Like the smell, the hops stand out in the overall taste, but these contribute a light to moderate amount of bitterness that is kept in check by the underlying malts, which also contribute some hints of toasted malt flavors.M: It feels a bit shy of medium-bodied on the palate and somewhat crisp with a moderate amount of carbonation.O: The beer is very easy to drink, refreshing and is quite sessionable. I would have no problem drinking more than one of these at a time.

I know many of us are beer "fanatics" but something is to be said of beers that can both please the Bud Light drinkers and the Beer snobs. This beer is not the best in its category but it is a staple amongst beer drinkers and is as good bottled as on draft which is not always the case. It has an initial sharp flavor that fades quickly so as too not be overly offensive. A solid overall beer.

One of my all time favorites;
Aroma: Extremely floral and spicy, but not to overtake the malts. Complex and refreshing, even to the nose.
Appearance: Deep golden, excited from the carbonation. Nice white head, containing loosely laced bubbles.
Taste: Floral and spicy nose. High hop flavoring pronounced in the body. Medium bodied, cut nicely by bittering. Leaving mouth nicely coated. Finishes a bit dry, but not to offend. High bittering at the end.
Aftertaste: All the pleasantries of the taste without complete drying, tackiness, or metalics.
Impression: Absolutely refreshing, a bold and exciting beer. One that can be drank from sun-up to sun-down and any time of the year. One to stock the fridge with.

Draft: Poured a medium amber color ale with a medium size foamy head. Aroma of citrus and piney hops is well balanced against some lightly sweet caramel malt base. Taste is also a wonderfully mix of floral hops notes from West Coast hops with nice line and citrus notes though they are never overwhelming. Malt base is not too sweet and well balanced against the hops. Body is about average with good carbonation. This si one staple that I will never get tired of.

Quintessential amber with a blizzard of fine yeast suspended within. The beer is topped by a bone white crown that is rocky and pitting as it melts. Unfortunately, the lid didn't last very long. There's a decent amount of lace, though nothing too special. The nose is of average intensity and is primarily of citrusy hops.

The flavor profile is on the simple and straightforward side; not that that's a bad thing. Each mouthful starts out with a gently spicy-bitter push, backed by a solid underlay of malt. Things don't really change in character from start to finish or with warming.

Although SNBC uses Cascade hops (along with Magnum and Perle), grapefruit zest isn't bursting across the tongue. The mouthfeel is slightly more full than medium and has no rough edges whatsoever.

I expected very good things from Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and was just a little let down in the end. It's not that it's bad beer, not by a long shot, but there are better versions out there. I'm sure I'll come back to it again since it's so widely available (and since my local hoppy options are so limited).

The classic Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I remember sitting at the Keystone Pub when I ordered my first one back in 2007. It was probably one of my first pale ales. I can't recall having one prior to it. Anyway, it pours out as a lightly hazed yellowish gold color. The head is strong and leaves a good lacing on the glass. The smell of the beer has a really nice hop aroms on it mixed with some malts on the nose. The taste of the beer has a good bitterness to it with a dry hoppy aftertaste. When it comes to the mouthfeel it's a highly drinkable beer. It's got a good body to it and it's not overly heavy. Overall this beer is worth checking out if you haven't already, It's a pioneer pale ale, it really holds it's own again many competitors.

Pours a decent amber, with no head, and a bit of lacing, very clear. Smell is citrus hoppy, but not overly so. Slight spiceyness as well. Taste is very crisp, with a dry hop finish. Very citrus flavored, and a bit of grassy, piney flavor as well. This has always been one of my favs, always easy to get, and always drinkable. Pretty much my standard at restaurants that don't have much. Its no IPA, and is by no means the Celebration, But I have never turned one down.